He has gone a bought a real gem...

An auctioneer and antiques dealer has made a gem of a discovery and one that will be shared with TV viewers.

Collin Hufton from Cowcliffe in Huddersfield paid £900 at a Batley auction for an appealing art deco ladies wrist watch.

But now, a gemologist has put an insurance value of almost £10,000 on the timepiece – which turned out to be a 5.5-carat diamond Cartier ladies wristwatch dating from the 1930s.

People will be able to share Collin’s find on the forthcoming series of Channel 4 programme Posh Pawnbrokers

The programme will follow his fortunes as he looks to sell the watch on and invest the proceeds into his latest business venture.

But viewers will have to wait until the show is screened next year to find out how he got on.

“It’s a suspense story,” said Collin, 58, who lives with partner Paula and their five-year-old son Dennis.

“They came to film me in Huddersfield two weeks ago and then filmed me again at a pawnbrokers in London Road, Sheffield.

“I have been in the antiques game all my life and I knew exactly what it was. Although it didn’t have the Cartier name on it, the watch had the name Gazdar. That’s the name of two Indian brothers who worked for Cartier in the 1930s.”

The watch, which featured in the auction at M L O’Neill Auction House, Station Road, Batley, is decorated with square cut diamonds, known as baguette diamonds, and 2-carat rubies.

“I don’t think the other people bidding knew what it was,” he said. “I think they liked the look of it, but didn’t know they were 5.5-carat diamonds. It’s certainly one of my best recent finds.”

Collin will launch his new business, Colne Valley Auctions, on September 1 at premises in Slaithwaite. He ran Huddersfield Auctions with business partner Steve Mynott until selling the business in September last year.

“I vowed to my business partner that I would give it a year before opening another auction house,” Collin said.

“I know Colne Valley Auctions will be successful and I hope to bring Dennis into the business when he’s older.”

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